Addressing and printing machine



y 1933- H. P. ELLIOTT 1,916,564

ADDRESSING AND PRINTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 2, 1931 5 Shets-Sheet 1INVENII'OR fzgarm on PEI/i011 ATTORNEY July 4,1933. H. P. ELLIGTT1,915,564

ADDRESSING AND PRINTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 2. 1951 5 sheets-sfiefi'zINVENTOR Heir/non FE/IL'OZZ B ATTORNEY y 1933. H. P. ELLIOTT 1,916,564

*1 ADDRESSING AND PRINTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 2, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR ATTORNEY Harmon FE/[ZOZZ July 4, 1933. H. P. ELLIOTT ADDRESSINGAND PRINTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 2, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Q INVENTORHarmon 1. EZZL'OZZ ATTO R N EY July 4, 1933. H. P. ELLIOTT ADDRESSINGAND PRINTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 2, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR HarmonPEllz'olZ BY i 0% ATTORP JEY Patented July 4, 1933 HARMON P. ELLIOTT,

ADDBES8ING IACEINB GOIPANY, A

PATENT OFFICE I OI 'WA'IEBTOWN, -KASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB, 'IO ELLIOTTCORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS ADDRESSING AND PRINTING MACHINE Applicationfiled November 2, 1831. Serial No. 572,480.

This invention relates to combined addressing and printing machines ofthe type shown and described in my copending application Ser. No.473,322 filed August 6, 1930, and comprises certain improvements on thestructure there shown, and certain modifications thereof.

The apparatus here illustrated, like that described in my said copendingapplication, is designed to use stencils for printing names andaddresses upon post cards, envelopes, letter sheets, etc., thousands ofusers of stencil addressing machines already having .many millions ofthese stencils in stock, which they cannot afiord to discard and replacewith something difi'erent. For printing the message or other matter onthe addressed post cards or letter sheets, according to my invention, Iemploy a sector bearing type or raised letters on its curved face,instead of using a large stencil, as in the form of the broad inventionshown in my above noted earlier application. This type bearing sector,however, fits into the addressing machine, in place of the usualinkbearing platen sector employed in cooperation with the stencils inprinting the addresses. It takes its ink from the same ink supplyingunit that supplies ink to the ink bearing platen sector, and it isrevolved by the same gearing that revolves the latter so as to similarlycooperate with the lower pressure platen sector in each printingoperation. The type bearing sector may have type set removably ingrooves or otherwise in its face, or it may have a facing sheet ofrubber or similar elastic composition which has been moulded to form(when inked) a printing surface of any desired pattern.

The type and ink bearing sector and the smooth faced ink bearing sector,being exchangeabieone for the other in the machine, constitute the meanswhereby the character of the printing performed by the machine may bevaried, as well as the area covered by the printing done onthe'successive paper sheets or post cards, or other articles fed to itfor printing; and this without necessarily changing, or modifying theaction of, any of the other machine parts.

The present invention also includes the combination, with a handoperated addressing machine of the general type shown in my saidcopending application, of a special power unit and supporting table forboth, which may be sold as a unit to present owners and users of saidaddressing machines, and the latter installed thereon and connected tothe motor without requiring any changes which might interfere with saidmachine still being 0perated by hand, ifdesired.

The invention includes certain other and minor improvements which, whendescribed hereinafter will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

The best form of apparatus at present 05 known to me embodying myinvention is illustrated in the accompanylng five sheets of drawings inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an addressing machine and supporting powerunit, parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, parts being broken away andothers shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a plan view, a few parts being broken away, and othersremoved.

[Fig 4 is a detail longitudinal section on an enlarged scale,illustrating the card feeding mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a similar detail, plan view illustrating the mechanism forfeeding the address bearing stencils to the printing zone.

Fig. 6 is a detail horizontal section on line 66 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged, detail, vertical section on line 7-7 of Fig. 2,and

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of one form of type-carrying,ink-bearing sector, and

Fig. 10 is a cross section on line 10-10 of Fig. 9. I

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts.In its main 95 parts the general construction of the combined addressingand printing machine here shown is the same as that described in detailin my above noted co-pending application, and consequently will be onlybriefly recited. .51 is 100 and through a printing zone, together withpost-cards or'other articles to be addressed,

which latter are stacked in a magazine indi-' cated generally at24,-which has a skeleton bottom and back formed by bent wire53. At theother end of frame 51 is the collector 28 used for stencils which aredischarged into it from the end of the usual grooved stencil guides 9and 99, while the printed post cards or other printed articles aredeposited in receptacle 27. 74 is an adjustable end Wall for cardreceptacle 2?, and 73 is a clamping nut therefor. 1 is a hand crankmounted on the end of revoluble shaft 2 journaled in housing 67, andhaving a considerable portion of its length projecting beyond suchsinglejournal bearing. Said housing 67 has an edge flange 78 forprotecting a pair of gears 6, 6, the upper one of which is fast on shaft2, while the lower one is fast on shaft 55 which is journaled in aswinging frame (not shown) so as to have a slight range of verticaladjustment according to the thickness of the cards or sheets which areto be fed through the printing zone. Stencils 7a in the address printingoperation are fed along guides 9 and 99 from a magazine generallyindicated at 50, by slide 41 (Fig. 5) mounted on guide 99 carrying feedclaw 43 and provided with guide cars 42, 42, which hook around the outeredge of stencil guide 99. lhis slide is actuated by connecting rod 39pivoted-at one end on pin 40 on slide 41 and atthe other on crank pin 49on crank disc 38 on the outer end of sleeve 37 which can he slid on ored the portion of revoluble shaft 2 projecting beyond its single journalbearing in housing 67. Said shaft similarly carries the ink-bearingplaten sector 3a after sleeve 37 has been slipped off and the saidsector 3a slipped on in its place.

Casting 101 is fastened at one end to slide bar support 95, as indicatedin Fig. 5, and casting 98 is similarly fastened to slide bar 94, boththese bars being adjustable in an endwise direction in the housing 96 (Fig. 1) which has a cover plate 96?) provided with a vertically boredboss 96a in which is mounted a vertically sliding pin controlled byknurled sleeve 106 for holding these bars 94 and 95 in various positionsof adjustment. The stencil guide 99 is fastened to the bottom of casting98, while 9 is fastened to the bottom of casting 101, with the resultthat these stencil guides are adjustable toward and from one another.

The other ends of the stencil guides carry clips 93, 93, which havesliding engagement with the horizontal bracket 92, supported from thearm extension 76 which is fastened to the forwardly extending arm 68projecting from one end of the main frame 51. As shown in Fig. 1, 76 isfastened to'68 by screws 76a. Bracket 92 is notched at 92a, 92a, tolimit the movement of the guides 9 and 99 toward and from one anotherand these are held in such adjustment by means of the swinging latch 19pivoted sit/20 to guide 99 and provided with two notches and either ofwhich is adapted to engage vertical pin 31, carried by guide 9. When theguides are drawn together so that notch 25' may engage pin 31, theguides are spaced apart a distance such as shown in broken lines in Fig.1, so that they will receive and hold in their oppositely disposedgrooved faces the address bearing stencils 7 a, 70. When the guides arepushed apart so that the groove 30 engages pin 31 a much larger portionof the face of the lower platen sector 5 is left free and exposed sothat a wider printing zone is created, as indicated in full lines inFig. 1.

The stencil magazine is formed by the rear upright 100 carried bycasting 98 and the two front uprights 102, 102, carried by the casting101. Consequently when the stencil guides are brought near enoughtogether to handle the address bearing stencils 7a the two halves of themagazine thus formed will be similarly brought near enough together tohold and guide a stack of such stencils.

The mechanism for guiding and feeding postcards or other cards to beprinted comprises the magazine represented generally at 24. composed ofthe vertical side plates 109, 109 (see Figs. 1 and 3) which aresupported by horizontally extending feet 110, 110, which are slotted at111 to receive a thumbscrew 112 so that they may be adjustable towardand from one another. Thumbscrew 112 screws into the table 66 and soclamps the card magazine in proper position relative to the printingmechanism. The bottom and back of the card magazine is formed by thebent U- shaped wire 53. A rotary feed drum 23 carried by horizontalshaft 54, is provided with a roughened circumferential strip 35 forengaging the bottom card in the magazine 24.

and feeding it forward under pressure roller 132, into card guides 22,the other ends of which terminate under stencil guides 9 and 99 adjacentthe lower platen sector 5 so that as each one of the postcards 21 is fedforward along guides 22, its forward end is pushed up against the undersurface of the stencil guides 9 and 99 in a position ready to be grippedbetween the oppositely disposed platen sectors, Fig. 4. Guides22 iresupported by extensions 114 of the card magazine side plates 109. Drum23 is driven by sprockets 57 on the rear end of shaft 54, over whichsprocket chain 58 runs to sprocket 56 on the rear end as indicated inbroken lines in of shaft 55. The usual slack take-up 59 is provided forthis chain. Pressure roller 132 is journaled in housing 131 carried bythe lower end of spring which itself is carried by the sliding gate 123which forms the lower portion of the front of the postcard magazine.Spring plates-124 are also carried by main gate 123 and project below itso as to prevent all except the bottom postcard 21 from being draggedout of the magazine by the feeding drum 23. Gate 123 may be raised andlowered by rod 126, theupper end of which has a swiveling connection tothe lower end of adjusting screw 126a (see Fig. 1) which is threadedinto block 122b, which is supported on the upper end of plate 122forming the main front of the postcard magazine. Block 122?) has a slot128 (see Fig. 6) extending from one side of it to the threaded bore inwhich screw 126a rests. One of the screws127 holding block 1221) toplate 122 passes across this slot and threads into the block portionbeyond said slot. Consequently when this screw 127 is set up tightly itclamps adjusting screw 126a in any position of adjustment it may then beoccupying.

After each card or sheet or envelope has passed through the printingzone and is no longer grasped between the revolving sectors it bears onthe rotating friction wheels 36. 36 (Figs. 2 and These are carried byshaft 61 journaled in housing 69 pivoted to the front of main frame 51at 83 and carrying a set screw 60 (Fig. 3) which bears on the face ofsaid main frame. After loosening setscrew 60 the housing 69 may be swungon pivot 83 to raise or lower the ejector friction wheels 36, 36, andthe screw then forced against the main frame to hold them in theposition so assumed. Shaft 61 is rotated by belt 178 running over pulley177 on its outer end and driven by pulley 176 on shaft 54.

The inking apparatus here shown is in the form of a unit pivoted on thehorizontally extending shaft 142 which is fast in the bracket 141extending horizontally from the upper portion of the housing 67. On thisshaft is pivoted the forked housing 143 by means of the perforated lug143?) (see Fig.

3). This housing has an upwardly extending portion 143a terminating in ahorizontally extending portion, one end of which is equipped with forks146 in which the shaft of the inking roll 4 is loosely journaled andprevented from removal by the split pins 150. At the other end thishousing is equipped with the upwardly projecting forks 151 in which theshaft 82a of the rotary ink fountain 82 is journaled, being retainedtherei in by split pins 152. The transfer roll 88 carried by shaft 88ais j ournaled in this housing beneath the ink fountain 82, and adj acentthe inking roll 4. The latter is pulled toward the transfer roll 88 bymeans of springs 148 anchored at 149 and having their other endsconnected to cli s- 147 which are loosely mounted on the ends of theinking roll shaft 145. A double grooved cam 90 on the rear end of shaft88a of the transfer roll cooperates with the pivoted crescent pin 91 toproduce an endwise sliding of the roll as it rotates. 179 is a crank onsaid shaft by which said roll may be rotated by hand when it is desiredto transfer a larger quantity of ink to the roll 4 than would resultfrom normal o eration. 4a is removable cover for the in -supplyingrolls.

The inklng unit above described would obviously be supported at its freeend by the roll 4 resting on the upper sector of the ink impressionapparatus and thus transferring a certain quantity of ink from roll 4 tothe upper sector 3 or 3a, whichever might be in position on shaft 2. Ihave found, however, that frequently more pressure is required for thispurpose than is produced b the weight of the parts and accordingly theU- shaped housing 144 is pinned on shaft 142 so as to embrace thepivoted housing lug 143?) (as shown in Fig. 3) and positive pressuremeans are mounted on this housing 144 to cooperate with the looseanti-friction sleeve 164 which is held by screw 165 on the rear end ofhousing 143 so as to positively swing the inking unit upward ordownward.

Housing 144 may be fastened on shaft 142 bypins 33, 33 (Fig. 3) and byproviding various sets of holes in shaft 142 for these pins, the housingand the entire ink supplying unit may be moved to one side or the otherof the machine and fastened in various positions so assumed to produceany desired adjustment of the inking unit with reference to the inkbearing sectors 3 and 3a.

The preferred form of pressure apparatus for the inking roll 4 comprisesthe sleeve 161 mounted on vertical shaft 157 which is held in housing144 by cross pin 158, said sleeve being provided with a radiallyprojecting upper fin 163 and a lower radially projecting fin 167 whichfins are respectively adapted to bear upon the anti-friction roller 164when sleeve 161 is rotated on vertical shaft or pin 157 by means of theradially projecting handle 162. This sleeve is held against the housing144 normally by spring confined between the lower end of said sleeve andthe head 159 on the lower end of shaft or pin 157. Its turning movementon shaft 157 is limited by pin 168 set in housing 144. The set screw 166also set in housing 144 limits the upward movement of the rear end ofswinging housing 143 when there is no support for the other end of saidhousing. Consequently the adjustment of screw 166 will limit thedistance through which inking roll 4 will drop down when the space 26between the ends of the curved face of the upper platen sector comesopposite said roll. The amount of ink to be delivered to the inkimpression apparatus at each operation of the machine is dependent onthe pressure with which inking roll 4 is forced down on said sectorface, and this pressure is determined bythe angle through which fin 167is swung under anti-friction roller 164, and the consequent extent ofcompression of spring 160 which results from the inclined up er face oflower fin 167 being forced un er antifriction roller 164 by a counterclockwise rotation of handle 162 and sleeve 161, so as to force saidsleeve downward and so compress spring 160 more or less. WVhen theoperator turns sleeve 161 in a clockwise direction the inclined undersurface of the other radial fin 163 engages the anti-friction roller 164and lifts inking roll 4 upward slightly, so as to cause it to clear thesector. The upper platen sector then in position can then be removed topermit the substitution of another, or for any other purpose. Also theinking roll 4 can thus be freed from contact with the upper sectorbefore the inking members are rotated by handle 179 to accumulate moreink on said roll 4. The above described construction of floating inkingunit is fully illustrated and further described in my co-pendingapplication Ser. No. 572,481, filed of even date herewith.

The printing of the addresses is done with the stencils 7a and thenarrow ink-bearing sector platen Be, as shown in Fig. 5. When a message,or 'other matter requiring a larger area for the impression, is to beprinted on the other side of each postcard or upon sheets of paper, thesector 3a is slipped off of shaft 2, the stencil guides 9 and 99 aremoved apart to expose a wider area of the lower sector 5, and thetype-bearing sector 3 (best shown in Fig. 9) is slipped on to shaft 2.The type 7, having been slid into the circumferential undercut grooves 8on said sector, are held in place by plates 8a, fastened by screws 85,said plates then covering the ends of said grooves. When sector 3 hasbeen thus slid on to shaft 2, the radial groove 48 cut in its inner endengages the radial drive pin 47 on shaft 2 and thus the sector iscompelled to revolve with the shaft. It is yieldingly held in thisposition by radial pin 44, mounted in sleeve 34, which sleeve forms thehub of the sector. This pin is pressed inward by plate spring 46 toengage the circumferential groove 45 on shaft 2 near the latters outerend. Sleeve 37 carrying sector 3a is similarly constructed so as toslide on and off of shaft 2. A knurled projection 113 from the other endof sleeve 34 is provided to be grasped by the operator when installingor removing the type faced sector carried by that sleeve.

The stencil feed slide 41 is left idle when type-bearing sector 3 isinstalled, and stencil guides 9 and 99 then merely continue to performtheir subordinate but important funcbe printed are fed by hand to theprinting zone, the surfaces of 9 and 99 then form the' only guides forsuch hand fed articles. Ink is taken by the surfaces of type 7 on sector3 from inking roll 4 and applied to the postcard or other article beingprinted. In all cases the lower sector 5 performs the same function,that of a pressure platen cooperating with the ink impression element,of whatever character which is in position above it, to force the cardor sheet or stencil against the ink bearing surface of the latter. Whenthe smooth faced sector 3a and the stencils are used, only a portion ofthe ink carried by said sector reaches the surface to be printed, theremainder being intercepted by the impervious portion of the stencil.When the type-faced sector 3 is used, all of the ink carried by it istransferred to the postcard or letter" sheet.

The combined addressing and printing machine hereinbefore described isso designed as to be operated either by hand or by power and a articularconstruction of portable power unit and supporting stand or table onwhich the addressing and printing machine may be placed for the purposeof enabling it to be power driven, is shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8 ofthe drawings. Power is transmitted to the main driving shaft 2 throughthe sprocket gear wheel 206 which is fastened on said shaft inside ofthe hand crank 1. Said fastening may be effected by means of setscrew206m in the hub 206?) of the gear wheel, as shown in Fig. 2. The machineis set on the table top 180 supported by legs 181 and supportingfrom'its under side the electric motor 182. Any desired train of gearingmay be employed for transmitting the rotation of the motor shaft 183 tosprocket wheel 206 and reducing the speed of such rotation to thedesired extent, but l have illustrated a special form of gearing andclutch, all of which is carried by the table 180, except one pair ofbelt pulleys 186 and 187 which are fastened together side by side toform a unit which may be mounted on the projecting end of shaft 54 torotate loosely thereon, being. retained in position by collar 209 andspacing sleeve 208, as best, shown in Fig. 2. Belt runs over drivepulley 184 on the end of the motor shaft and transmits motion to pulleys186 and 187, and belt 188 runs over pulley 187 and loose pulley 189 onthe stub shaft 190 (Fig. 8) which is held fast in bracket 1.91 set onthe upper surface of table top 180. Pulley 189 is held on shaft 190 bycollar 192. A sprocket gear wheel 193 is also loosely mounted on shaft190 beside pulley 189 and carries a clutch pin 195 which can be slid inand out along a line pari that the rotation of motor 182 is transmittedto the addressing and printing machine set upon the table top 180, asshown.

A suitable throwout mechanism for the clutch, formed by the engagementof screw 194 and pin 195, is provided by which the transmission of powerfrom motor 182 to shaft 2 may be interrupted. This is shown more indetail in Figs. 7 and 8. It comprises a hook-shaped clutch throwoutlever 198 pivoted at 200 (see Fig. 1) to a bracket carried by table top180 and having the inner edge of the hook-shaped portion on its free endprovided with a laterally inclined surface 199 adapted to enter theannular groove 197 on sliding pin 195 and thereby withdraw said pin intoits socket in the hub of gear 193 so that it will no longer engage screw194, on pulley 189, thus throwing the clutch out of gear at a givenpoint in the rotation of gear wheel -193. For this purpose lever 198 isguided by the of said gear wheel. 201 (see Figs. 1 and 2) is a linkconnecting lever 198 with the foot 3 pedal 203 pivoted on shaft 204,which is supported by the legs 181. Normally pedal 203 and clutch lever198 are held up by spring 202, the upper end of which is anchored ontable top 180. Normally therefore the clutch will be thrown out at agiven point in each revolution and the pulley 189 allowed to rotate idlyon shaft 190 until the operator presses down on pedal 203. Downwardmovement of this pedal withdraws the hookshaped end of the clutch leverfrom the position in which its inclined surface 199 engages the annulargroove 197 in pin 195, this permitting spring 196 to force the pinoutward so that the head of screw 194 will strike it when the pulley 189has revolved to the necessary extent, and the clutch is then closed andso long as the pedal is held down the motor 182 will drive theaddressing and printing machine continuously.

The addressing and printing machine may be sold separately to beoperated by hand by the crank 1 and the supporting stand and attachedpower unit may be sold separately as a unit to the users of the handoperated -machines, which can then be placed on the table top 180 whenit is desired to use electrical power, and can then be connected up tothe power unit by merely installing the sprocket gear 206 on shaft 2,and the loose pulleys 186 and 187 on the pro ecting end groove 207 inthe hub of shaft; 54., together with the connecting belts 185 and 188and sprocket chain 205, as above described.

0 Conversely, by tipping up the machine on 1ts front legs 52, 52, farenough to produce the slight needed amount of slack in sprocket chain205, said chain can he slipped off the sprocket gears, and, on removingthe compound pulley 186-187 from the end of shaft 54, together with thebelts 185, 188, the machine becomes hand operable and easily portablefor use in other places when placed on a table or desk or other support.

Various changes in the details of construction here shown could be madewithout departing from the underlying principles of the invention asabove explained or as may be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Thus the type 7 may be formed either of type metal or of a slightlyelastic conposition, or they may be moulded on the face of a singlerubber sheet or block, as in mak-. ing rubber stamp:

Having descri (1 my invention, I claim:

1. In an addressing machine employing stencils and provided withlaterally adjustable grooved guides along which said stencils may befed, the combination, with said above described apparatus, of means forlocating and holding said guides in one or another position ofadjustment, which comprises a latch pivoted to one guide and havin aplurality of notches in one edge thereo and a pin set in the other guideadapted to engage one or the other of such notches.

2. In a printing apparatus employing stencils comprising a pair ofoppositely rotating platen sectors journaled one over the other, a pairof oppositely grooved guide rails adapted to guide a stencil betweensaid sectors, a rotary ejecting means located under said guide railsadjacent to said lower sector, the combination with said above describedapparatus of journal bearings for said rotary ejecting means adjustabletoward or from the under side of said guides.

3. An addressing machine having two oppositely rotating platen sectorsjournaled in a main frame between which sectors stencils and articles tobe printed may be passed, parallel grooved guide bars for said stencilsand a rotary member located under said guides and onto which the printedarticles may be discharged, the combination, with said above describedapparatus, of a housing for said rotary ejector pivoted to the front ofsaid main frame so as to render said ejector movable toward and fromsaid guides, and a setscrew mounted in said housing adapted to bear onthe front of said frame and thereby hold said housing in variouspositions of adjustment.

4. The combination, with a portable addressing machine adapted to standon a table top and having a revoluble driving shaft projecting from oneside thereof provided with a hand crank mounted on the end thereof and asprocket gear mounted on said shaft adjacent said hand crank, of aportable power unit comprising a table, a motor mounted on the underside of the table top, a sprocket wheel journaled on said table top,speed reducing gearing connecting said motor to the last mentionedsprocket wheel, and a sprocket chain running a round both said sprocketwheels; whereby when said addressing machine is placed on said table topwith its sprocket wheel projecting over the sprocket wheel carried bysaid table and said chain is in place, the machine may be power driven,

